Officers assaulted, suffocated, and left a man in a mental health crisis to die inside a Maricopa County jail cell, according to a new federal lawsuit.
The family of Akeem Terrell, who died on January 1, 2021, filed the complaint against officers with the Phoenix Police Department and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
“The city of Phoenix has created a culture of impunity that permits officers to use excessive and unnecessary force without fear of discipline or oversight,” according to the lawsuit.
It also alleges that Phoenix has not completed an internal investigation into the death.
The Phoenix Police Department declined to comment through the city’s communication director.
No one from Sheriff Paul Penzone’s office responded to a request for comment.
From the moment Terrell was brought into the jail until he was wheeled out on a stretcher, a total of 41 minutes passed.
The entirety of that time was captured on surveillance video, and the footage forms the basis of the lawsuit’s claims.
The footage is included in the video above.
Contact ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing at Dave@ABC15.com.
